The Fortunate 50 July 29, 2006

SI.com – The Fortunate 50Why is this man smiling? When it comes to the money game, no one even comes close to Tiger Woods, who has a jaw-dropping $97.6 million in earnings.

But the average wealth of the 50 actually fell by $500,000 since last year’s list. The reason? Endorsers are taking fewer chances on athletes and increasingly turning to Hollywood celebrities (No. 2 Phil Mickelson and No. 4 Kobe Bryant are the only others on this list to have a noticeable increase in corporate income). For a list of the top 20-earning foreign athletes, click here.